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Defending champion |
Challenger | |||||
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 Anatoly Karpov |
 Viktor Korchnoi | |||||
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Born 23 May 1951 30 years old |
Born 23 March 1931 50 years old | |||||
| Winner of the 1978 World Chess Championship | Winner of the 1980 Candidates Tournament | |||||
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Rating: 2700 (World No. 1) |
Rating: 2695 (World No. 2) | |||||
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The 1981 World Chess Championship was played between Anatoly Karpov and Viktor Korchnoi in Merano, Italy from October 1 to November 19, 1981. Karpov won with six wins against two, with 10 draws. The two players had already played against each other in the World Chess Championship match 1978 in the Philippines, when Karpov also won.